Amalgamator.



G. F. DAVIS.

AMALGAMATOR.

APPLIGATION rum) APILBG, 1911.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

INVENTOR. flb ws BY Z Z WITNESSES ATTORNEY.

STTFS PATT. QFFTCE.

CHARLES F. DAVIS, 0F TALLAPOOSA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-EIGHTH TO JOHN 1\T. JONES AND ONE-EIGHTH TO FRED'D. JONES, BOTH OF WOODWABID, ALABAMA.

AIEALGAMATOR.

ooaros.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, CHARLES F. DAVIS, citizen of the United States, residing at Tallapoosa, in the county of Haralson and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amalgamators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in amalgamators having for its object to provide a machine which is simple and cheap in construction, which may be readily as sembled and taken apart, and which is adapted for use in connection with any type of gold mine milling machinery, receiving the material to be treated either directly from the stamp mill or other machinery for pulverizing same, or it may be used at the head or discharge end of a concentrator and consists essentially in the provision of an oscillatory casing subdivided by transverse horizontal amalgamated plates which are slotted to cause the material to flow in a tortuous passage from bottom to top, the material to be treated being fed to the amalgamator from an elevation suflicient to insure the gravity feed upward through the amalgamator.

One important feature of my invention consists in adapting the material to flow upwardly between the amalgamated plates in the amalgamator, this arrangement re ducing the loss of mercury to a minimum and adapting the amalgamator to catch the mercury with its contents of gold which is lost by globularization from the plates of the stamp mill.

Another feature of my invention is the provision of a receptacle at the bottom of the amalgamator in which I provide a pool of mercury with which the material first comes in contact before it starts its back and forth upward travel across the amalgamated plates. T have found that the oscillation or shaking of the amalgamator is important for preventing the heavy material from settling on the amalgamator. plates and banking them up with concentrates and like heavy material, thereby keeping the plates clean for proper action on the gold in the material under treatment. The advantage of causing the material to flow upwardly through the amalgamator is to prevent loss of the mercury, for if any works 013 the plates, instead of escaping with the material and losing its gold, it will work back down Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 26, 1911.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Serial No. 623,355.

to the pool of mercury in the basin at the bottom of the casing and be preserved.

My apparatus is very effective to catch the mercury and its gold contents lost by globularization from the stamp mill plates.

My invention further comprises the details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation through the amalgamator. Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a smaller scale showing the mechanism for feeding and oscillating the amalgamator. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of several of' the amalgamated plates shown detached with arrows illustrating the direction of flow of the material under treatment.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The material to be treated, after being reduced to the proper condition for the extraction of the gold therefrom in the amalgamator, is introduced into a tank or hopper 1 from which it flows down by gravity through a flexible section of hose pipe 2 which is connected by couplings 3 and 4:, respectively, with the tank 1 and with an elbow or quarter bend 5 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the inlet pipe 6 which leads to the bottom of the amalgamator casing 7. The passage 8, in the pipe 6, is round at its intake end and is gradually spread out toward its discharge end 9 which delivers the material in a thin sheet onto the bottom 10 of the amalgamator casing. This bottom is depressed at its center to form a basin in which a body of mercury 11 is introduced and which is provided with a bottom drain opening normally closed by a screw plug 12.

The sides of the amalgamator casing at the bottom are formed with an off set shoulder 13 upon which rests a horizontal amalgamated plate 1 1 provided across its end farthest from the inlet port 9 with a narrow transverse slot 15 which extends the greater portion of the width of the plate, A half inch strip of hydraulic packing 16 is disposed around the marginal edges. of the plate let and is adapted to support in spaced relation therefrom a second plate 14 which has its slot 15 at the opposite end from the slot in the plates above and below it. As will be seen in Fig. 1, the entire body of the A. V. Hows.

amalgamator casing 7 has these plates 14 The top cover can be readily removed and nestedtherein with their ports 15 staggered the plates 14 lifted out, cleaned and replaced so that the material will flow back and with small expense and littledelay. By forth from end to end with the casing in screwing the cover down on the plates after 5 passing from the bottom inlet to the outlet they are assembled in the casing, they are port 17 formed in the top plate 18, whiclr pressed against the packing rings sufiiciently is suitablyv bolted to the casing 7. The I to present the material passing around the plates 14 are silvered on both sides and the edges of the plates. material passes between them in shallow While Ihave illustrated the preferred em- 10 sheets which effectively brings all of the bodiment of an apparatus for carrying my gold therein into contact with the amalga-f invention into practice, I am aware that mated surface of one of the plates before; many minor changes in detail may be made it has traveled the long distance provided Without, however, departing from the spirit for in passing through the machine. The of my invention and without therefore spe- -l'5 lugs' 19 are cast integral with the end of cifically limiting myself to the details of the casing and disposed at each side thereconstruction shown. of and a pitman 20 is pivotallyconnected to 5 Having thus described my invention, each, each shaft being oscillated by an ec- 5 what I claim as new and desire to secure by centric 21 on a shaft driven by the pulley Letters Patent, is

2'0 22 and mounted in bearing standards 23. 1. An amalgamator comprising in combi- To provide for oscillating the amalganation a casing, closely spaced plates dismator I attach to its bottom, near each end, posed therein in horizontal planes and amalcovered blocks 24, which receive the upper gamated on both sides, there being pasends of rocking supports 25, which at their sages provided at alternately opposite ends 25 bottoms rest in bearing blocks 26 similar to of the plates for the material to be treated,

24 and mounted in a base plate 27, which the casing being provided with a feed inlet base plate is also extended sufliciently to at the bottom and an outlet at the top, and have the standards 23 bolted thereto. means for shaking the casing and its con- In operation, the material to be treated tained plates, substantially as described.

'30 flows by gravity through the pipes 2 and 5 2. In an amalgamator comprising in comand through the inlet port 9, entering the bination a casing, closely spaced plates dis- -bottom of the amalgamator casing where posed therein in horizontal planes and amalit first comes into contact with the pool of gamated on both sides, said plates being mercury 11. The head pressure is sufficient provided with passages at alternately op- 35 to force the material inits tortuous upward posite ends, the casing being provided with passage back and forth across the plates a feed inlet at itsbottom and an outlet at 14 untilit passes out through the top disthe top, and means for shaking the casing charge port 17 all the fine floured gold and and its contained plates, substantially as the floured amalgam being given ample described.

40 opportunity in the long travel of the ma- 3. An amalgamator comprising in combiterial' to amalgamate on the plates. The ecnation a casing, closely spaced plates diseen'tric mechanism described gives a conposed therein in horizontal planes and amaltinuo'us oscillation of the amalgamator gamated on both sides, there being passages thereby preventing the heavy material setprovided at alternately opposite ends of 45 tling on the plate and facilitating the gravity the plates for the material to be treated, the How offthe material from bottom to top casing being provided with a feed inlet at through" the casing. By arranging the the bottom and an outlet at the top, and the plates horizontally I minimize their tendbottom part of the casing being adapted to ency to losetheir amalgam surfacing which contain a mercury bath, and means for 50 would tend to" form into globules and run shaking the casing and its containedplates,

0E ani'nclined plate much more readily substantially as described. than'from a horizontal plate. Also this in- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature creases the distance of gavel I can give the in presence of two witnesses. material in a casing o a given size. The

55 upflow of the material over the pool of mer l CHARLES DAVIS only will have a tendency to keep the plates Witnesses: amalgamated 'or requickened and thereby A. G. BROOK, I increase the efi'iectiveness of the machine.

Copies 5: this patent may he obtained for five cents each, ,by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

. a V jwashington, D. 0. 

